Virginia Governor Republican Glenn Youngkin lambasted President Joe Biden for his Thursday night speech in Philadelphia, where he cast Donald Trump’s political movement as a threat to democracy.
(Bloomberg) — Virginia Governor Republican Glenn Youngkin lambasted President Joe Biden for his Thursday night speech in Philadelphia, where he cast Donald Trump’s political movement as a threat to democracy.
“I was stunned at how divisive this speech was last night,” Youngkin said in an interview Friday on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power.” “When we bring common sense solutions to them, we can bring people together. When I won last year it wasn’t Republicans against Democrats. We won the independent vote, we had lots of Democrats come with us.”
During his prime time speech, Biden derided the Republican party for being “dominated, driven, intimidated by Donald Trump,” saying his supporters and candidates who espouse his false election claims represent “a threat to this country.” The speech came just two months ahead of the November midterms, in which Democrats are fighting to maintain their slim majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Youngkin, a former co-chief executive officer of Carlyle Group Inc., is considered a rising star in the GOP. His surprise victory last November sparked optimism among Republicans and hand-wringing among Democrats that the 2022 midterm elections would be painful for Biden’s party.
Youngkin deployed a strategy in which he kept the former president at arms-length to woo suburban independents dismayed by the former president, while not alienating the rural voters that comprise a significant chunk of Trump’s base.
In recent months, Youngkin has fueled 2024 presidential speculation with visits to other states. Last week, Youngkin traveled to Michigan, a crucial battleground, to campaign alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon. In July, he addressed Republicans in Nebraska.
“I’m excited to have some time, not a lot, because I’m very busy here, to support some candidates around the country who I think are in circumstances much like I was in Virginia last year, where there’s Republican candidates who can take over a state that’s been run by Democrats,” Youngkin said in the interview.
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